Home
by AutyRose
Summary: Korra has overcome more adversity in her time as the Avatar than most could ever imagine. She's defeated Equalists, a Dark Avatar, the Red Lotus, and even Kuvira and her giant Spirit Weapon. She is a hero. Why, then, is she struggling with something that she feels should be so obvious to her: home. Is it a nation? A place? A person? Her time in Republic City tests this concept.
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! I was working on a different piece and this one surfaced out of no where. I hope you enjoy it! It takes place after the Book Four finale. I'm not sure how long this will be (it was originally a one-shot but it turned into much more), so I'll update the Chapter Count once the story works itself out to me. Thank-you for all of your support for my other fics. You are wonderful and I love you!

"Come on, Asami! Let's try it!" Korra flailed her arms in excitement, a menu in hand.

The growl in her stomach echoed in her ears. The CEO placed her paperwork onto her desk and reached for the laminated pamphlet her girlfriend was holding. The cover read, in fancier script than necessary, "Pokah's Authentic Southern Water Tribe Cuisine". She skimmed through the entrées, noting the meals that looked appetizing, such as the Arctic Hen and the "Five-flavor soup", and those that were a bit more… unappealing, like the Sea Prune Stew, which Asami had personal experience with during her visit to the Southern Water Tribe. Although the Avatar had loved the dish, the heiress struggled to stomach the bowl Senna had given her. '_It's an acquired taste, Asami. You're just not used to it yet.' _She mimicked Korra in her head, picturing the animated girl taking a big bite of her mother's homemade stew after the comment.

"I was running earlier today with Naga and I saw the grand opening sign right over the restaurant name. Authentic Southern Water Tribe food! Right in the City!" Korra was still waving.

Asami raised a skeptical eyebrow as she continued glancing over the menu. The prices certainly suggested that the food was authentic, considering most of the required ingredients would need to be imported.

"Pleeeeaaasseee," her girlfriend whined.

"Alright, alright, we can go –"

"Yes!" Korra pumped a fist in the air and swirled in a circle on an air current. Her inner fire was starting to come back after the months following Kuvira's attack on the City.

"After I finish my work." Asami concluded her interrupted sentence.

Korra returned to the ground with a half-frown, but shrugged it off. She was going to get to go to dinner with her girlfriend and eat _actual_ Southern Water Tribe food for the first time in a year and a half. How could she _not_ be excited? She sat in the wooden chair across the CEO's office and crossed her legs into her meditative stance. She stared at the pale beauty, quiet and wide-eyed.

Asami noticed this and smiled as she flipped over the sheet she had been examining. _Oh, Korra, _she chuckled, signing the bottom of the paper and placing it in her outbox. Another tug from her gut told her it was time to wrap up. She packed the rest of her work in her bag. The second she motioned to stand, Korra flew to her feet.

"Ready?!" She was almost bouncing up and down.

"Yes, come on Miss Avatar." The older woman offered her arm and her lover took it without haste.

"To Pokah's!"

She marched out of the Future Industries office, pulling Asami behind her.

(-)

The interior of the restaurant was painted many shades of blue. They were seated in a small booth, lit by candlelight. Each was handed a menu, though Korra didn't bother opening hers; Asami had no doubt that the Southerner had either memorized the dishes or just assumed whatever meal she craved would be available.

"What's good on here, Korra –"

The Avatar opened her mouth to speak but the heiress cut off what she knew Korra would say.

" –_other _than the Sea Prunes."

Korra crossed her arms over her chest, mumbling something along the lines of "you just need to eat them more". The engineer sent a gentle laugh her way to bring her attention back. "Well, I think you would like the Arctic Hen. It's fancy and delicate but packs a punch, just like you."

They both blushed to the compliment. "Arctic Hen it is then." Asami smiled and gave her order, shaking her head to Korra's enthusiastic "three bowls of Sea Prune Stew please!".

Small talk about their days commenced until their food was delivered. The Avatar told her girlfriend about the work they've been doing in converting the Earth Kingdom into a democracy instead of a monarchy, and some of the resistance they've been facing in the north. Asami went on in much detail about a new model of the Satomobile she was engineering, as well as many of the infrastructure projects she received for the expansion and recovery of Republic City from the Spirit Weapon's attack.

The waiter returned with their meals and placed them on the table. "If there's anything else I can get you, please let me know."

The pair thanked him and dug into their food. Korra's sound of disgust stopped Asami before she could put her fork to her mouth. She raised an eyebrow.

"What's wrong with your food, Korra?" The Southerner was swirling her spoon around the bowl, inspecting it and poking at the objects floating in it.

"Something's not right here." She took another bite and kept the same appalled face.

"Maybe you've lost your _acquired taste_," the inventor smiled, much to the Avatar's dismay.

"I've been away from Sea Prunes before. I've never lost my taste for them. I've been eating them all of my life, for Spirits' sake!" Her arms were thrashing again. Asami knew this behavior and placed her palm on Korra's hand once they settled.

"Maybe it's just that bowl. Try one of the other ones."

The younger woman took a spoonful of the second helping, eyed it with skepticism, sniffed it, and put it in her mouth. Another grunt of disapproval. "Something's just not _right_ about this, Asami. Let me see your Arctic Hen." She reached for the plate and pulled it across the table. She treated it the same way as her last spoon of Stew. "This is _not_ Arctic Hen."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Korra's arms flew up. "Arctic Hen has a very distinct flavor. Succulent and delicious with a sting of the southern arctic air."

"You should write the menu descriptions for this place."

The Avatar's face was disgruntled. "I would if this was _actually_ Arctic Hen. But it's not. I don't even think these are Sea Prunes." She Water Bent the soup and displayed the chunks of fruit on the table. "See, these aren't even Sea Prunes. They're not even Ocean Kumquats. This place is a fraud." She rose to her feet. Asami followed suit.

"Korra, maybe we should –"

Before she could even try to calm her girlfriend down, Korra had stormed off to the counter, demanding the manager. The engineer had not seen her get this heated over something since their run-in with aggressive journalists when they returned from the Spirit World. Sure, the Avatar had become much more level headed and reasonable than she was when they first met, and she didn't jump into violence as much either.

But this… this was nowhere near her diplomatic self.

Asami caught up to her beloved just in time to hear her growl at the attendant. "I want to see the chef and the manager and your stock of food." The man at the desk looked no older than eighteen, with a small pencil mustache and several drips of sweat beating down the side of his face.

"Of course, ma'am. Just a moment." He shuffled to the back, terrified.

"Korra –"

"These people are frauds, Asami. How _dare_ they open up a restaurant advertising Southern Water Tribe cuisine and try to pass this, this _lie_ off as actual, authentic food." She smacked a tray of Sea Prune Stew out of a nearby server's hand as he walked out from the kitchen. It scattered to the floor and several patrons turned their way. "It's a complete insult of my culture and my people."

It all clicked in the engineer's head. Korra, being a Southern Water Tribeswoman, was very proud and connected to everything that was Southern Water Tribe. She wasn't opposed to change, of course; being both the Avatar and a native Water Bender made her a natural at adjusting to adversity. Insults to her traditions, on the other hand… Asami made a note of this reaction for future reference. Instead of arguing with her girlfriend, she placed a hand on the bare tan shoulder that was tensed beside her. The younger woman began to relax under her touch, unable to fight the calming effect the heiress had on her.

"May I help you, ma'am?" An expensive looking man in an expensive looking suit appeared before them. The attendant with the mustache cowered behind him.

Korra clenched her jaw before speaking, trying to articulate her words with care. "Your food is not authentic Southern Water Tribe food. It's all knock-offs with the _names_ of the Southern Water Tribe dishes."

The man gave the Southerner a cynical look that carried a tad bit of smugness in it. Asami knew this look well; she had seen several businessmen carry this same expression right before they were about to feed her "convincing bullshit" to defend themselves against whatever claims she had made, such as the time she accused a Cabbage Corp. executive of poor workmanship for the airship she and Korra had been kidnapped in during their expedition in the Earth Kingdom. He had tried to give her and the Earth Kingdom client the common roundabout of "I ensure you that we use quality products put together by quality people", but her first-hand experience on the faulty craft shut him right down.

"She's the Avatar _and_ she's from the Southern Water Tribe. She knows what she's talking about." Asami stepped up before the manager could try to deceive them. His face shifted from cunning to nervous with a single gulp. Korra picked up on this and pounced.

"I want to see your stock!" She pounded her fist on the table. Many other diners twisted to see the commotion. The heiress squeezed Korra's shoulder and felt her ease up a bit beneath her pale palm.

The man had nothing but defeat on his face. "Come with me." He led them to the back into a smaller room. It was neither the kitchen nor the stock room. The shorter woman crossed her arms. Asami did the same. "Look, look, you caught me, okay. You're right, I'm a fraud. But I needed to use an idea that would sell. I have a family to support."

"So let me get this straight," Korra took a step forward, "you advertise authentic Southern Water Tribe Cuisine, then use ingredients that aren't even from the South Pole to sell them off as the real deal, just to make a profit." She took another step forward. "You make these people believe that this food is really what we eat in the arctic, you give them these false perceptions and lies, just because it's 'new and innovative'." His back was against the wall with the Avatar's final advancement.

"Not to mention you charge people an outrageous price to make it seem like your goods are imported from far away, just to increase your revenue." The CEO chimed in, her analysis on spot.

Korra lifted the man by the collar. "I can't let you do this. I can't let you degrade my people, my _culture_ just for a profit." She spit fire into his eyes from her own. Asami pulled her girlfriend's hands off of the now-sobbing man and received a lesser version of the same glare from the younger woman. The engineer gave her a stern look.

"Please, please Avatar. I need this restaurant. We came from nothing. Please." The man groveled from the floor.

Korra pressed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger and sighed. With clenched fists, she knelt down to meet the eyes of the manager. "You have two weeks to shut your restaurant down, change the theme, and change the menu to what you're really serving. If I come back here and you're still trying to pass this off as the food of my people, I will personally shut this place down. Do you understand?"

The man nodded and threw his arms around the Southerner. "Thank-you, thank-you so much Avatar. We will close immediately and start renovations. Thank-you, thank-you Avatar."

She pushed him off in disgust and rose to her feet. She turned to Asami and avoided the glare from the inventor. With a slam of the door, she was gone. The CEO gave one last look at the crying manager before leaving.

(-)

The ride back was silent and tense. Korra's fists never unclenched. She stared out of the window with piercing eyes. Asami was a mixture of emotions. She couldn't decipher whether she wanted to comfort her girlfriend, scold her, or both.

"Korra –"

"I don't want to talk about it right now."

The engineer gripped the wheel of her Satomobile. Her stomach twitched with hunger.

"Do you want to –"

"No."

"Korra, you're not even letting me finish."

She pouted and turned away from the driver, arms crossed. Asami took this as a sign to continue.

"Do you want me to stop at Narook's and get some noodles for us?"

"I'm not hungry," the younger woman huffed.

The heiress sighed. She thought of the leftovers she had in the fridge back at their apartment and decided that would be enough for them, whenever Korra got her appetite back.

Icy wind bit at their skin when they left the Satomobile. The Avatar waited, without patience, as Asami unlocked the door. Naga rose to greet them but was sidelined by the angry Southerner. She stomped by the panting polar bear dog and smashed the bedroom door behind her. The fluffy animal tilted her head in concern.

"She's upset Naga." Asami walked over to the animal companion and scratched the back of her ear. "This restaurant tried to pass off their food as Southern Water Tribe food when it really wasn't." Naga lowered her head onto the floor in a complete form of understanding that Asami admired.

The heiress walked about the apartment, straightening things, shuffling her small stacks of papers, and the like. She kept taking glances at the bedroom hallway, unable to focus her thoughts on anything but her distraught girlfriend. She exhaled and crept to the door. She could hear very soft sobbing behind the wooden barrier between them.

"Korra?"

She paused for a response. Asami knew that Korra's silence was an invitation for her to enter. She slid inside to find the Avatar sitting by the window, the light of a full moon falling on her tear-streaked face. She placed an arm around the Southerner's hunched shoulders. Korra refused to look at her lover.

"You can talk to me, if you want. I'm here for you."

Korra sighed and met the concerned emeralds beside her with puffy blue eyes. "How could they do something so disgraceful?"

Asami didn't respond to the rhetorical question. She pulled her girlfriend closer into a hug.

"I was so excited to finally get a taste of some Southern Water Tribe food. But no. It was just another scam. Just like that jeweler I saw the other day at the market, trying to pass off his cheap rocks for Arctic Sapphires." She slumped in her seat.

It wasn't hard for the older woman to put it all together.

"You miss home, don't you Korra?"

She let out an audible sob and nodded, burying her face into Asami's shoulder.

"I know it's stupid. I'm the Avatar. I'm supposed to go where I'm needed and be fine and accept it. But I've never been gone from the South Pole for this long. Even before everything that happened with Zaheer, I was only away from the South for a few months. Yeah, I grew up in the White Lotus compound, but it was still in the South Pole. I still got to experience my culture. Everything is so different here."

"Korra, it's okay to feel homesick. Those aren't invalid feelings at all, especially since this is all new to you. Plus, you're from the Southern Water Tribe. Family and culture are important to you."

The younger woman chuckled. "Have you been reading up?"

Asami shrugged. "While I've read a bit about your customs, I don't need a book to see how important they are to you."

Korra pulled away from her girlfriend and met her eyes once more. There was a mixture of gratitude and love in those blue irises. The engineer slid her hand along Korra's cheek and into her hair. She pulled her into a gentle kiss.

"If there's anything I can do to help, Korra, let me know. We can figure something out."

The Avatar smiled and kissed Asami once more. Their lips departed when they heard a whimpering at the door. Naga pushed it open and waited in the entryway with a yearning look.

"Come on girl." The Southerner waved her in and Naga somehow managed to squeeze through the door frame without damaging it. She crashed into the couple and they embraced each other, their faces covered in the moonlight. It drew Korra's attention away from her two best friends and forced her to stare into the night sky with nostalgic eyes.

"Maybe there _is_ something."

Asami lifted her head and stared at the Water Tribe girl pining for the celestial body above her. Korra turned to face her with a sideways grin that Asami knew all too well.


	2. Chapter 2

Summary: After the incident with Pokah's restaurant sham, Korra shares something special with Asami that no other outsider has seen before in an attempt to lessen the loneliness she feels from her separation with the Southern Water Tribe.

"Where are we going, Korra?"

The freezing wind blew around them. Asami clutched onto the Avatar with one arm and her hood with the other.

"To Yue Bay." Her voice was a bit dazed. The cold seemed to have no effect on the Water Tribe girl or her polar bear dog that carried them away from Republic City.

"Why?"

Korra turned her head over her shoulder and smiled. Her eyes were gleaming. "You'll see."

The engineer buried her face into her lover's back, trying to gather some of the Fire Bender's natural warmth. They reached the shore about fifteen minutes later. Asami was sure she was stuck to the Southerner like a tongue on a frozen metal statue. She had been to the South Pole before where it was much, much colder, but that didn't make her accustomed to it; it had never been this frigid in Republic City. Korra leapt off of Naga and opened her arms.

"Come on, Asami, I'll catch you!"

Asami wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck and slid into Korra's arms. The younger woman pulled her into a passionate kiss before setting her down. They both turned to the bay and gazed upon its beauty. The wind played a harsh melody that filled their ears, intertwined with the undertones of crashing waves.

Korra turned to her lover and clasped her gloved hands. The heiress was convinced that the Water Tribe girl's eyes were a shade of blue she had never seen before. They were bright and penetrating. "I want to share something with you." She pulled Asami closer to the shoreline as she spoke. "Water Benders get their power from the moon and learned how to bend by watching the way the moon pushed and pulled the tides. It was through the Moon and Ocean Spirits, Tui and La, that this was possible." The Avatar halted them on the edge of the wet sand and stood beside the nonbender. The tide visited their feet and returned time and time again. Korra stared up to the celestial body and smiled. "Our bending is the most powerful when the moon is full." Asami observed the glowing orb in the sky, unhindered by any clouds. She absorbed the moon's grace like never before.

"It's beautiful."

"_She's_ beautiful."

The inventor turned to her girlfriend with a raised eyebrow. "She?"

"No one's ever told you about the story of Princess Yue before?" Korra asked in disbelief. _How could she not know when she knows a million things? Have I never told her?_

Asami shook her head.

The Southerner looked away and returned her eyes to the moon. "Yue was a Princess in the Northern Water Tribe, during Aang's time as an Avatar. When she was very young, right after she was born, she was sick. She was still and quiet, as if she had been sleeping the entire time. No matter what the healers in the North did, they couldn't figure out what was wrong."

The older woman squeezed her lover's hand. "What happened?"

"They took her to the Spirit Oasis. It's a sacred place in the North Pole. That's where the Spirits Tui and La are. Thousands of years ago, they crossed into the Mortal World and manifested into two koi fish. They circle in the Oasis as a constant reminder of Ying and Yang, push and pull, just like the tides." Korra pointed to the gentle waves crawling and receding across the bank. "Her parents placed her in the Oasis and prayed to the Moon Spirit, Tui, to help bring life to their child. Tui accepted their request and gave Yue a part of its life. That's why she's named Yue, after the moon. That's also why her hair was so white." The Water Tribe girl smiled, recalling a painting she had seen of the Princess in her youth.

"That's amazing."

"There's more. During the Hundred Year War, the Fire Nation invaded the North Pole. Admiral Zhao was hell-bent on destroying the Moon Spirit and removing Water Bending from the world."

"How would destroying the Moon Spirit destroy Water Bending?"

"We get our power from the moon," Korra repeated. "Without it, we can't bend. The physical moon is connected to Tui."

"Was he successful?"

With a grim face, the younger woman nodded. "He pulled Tui from the Oasis and killed the Spirit. Since they were in physical form, they had no protection against death. When Zhao did that, the light of the moon dulled and everything turned red. The Water Benders couldn't bend a single drop."

Asami's jaw dropped.

"This is where Yue comes in. Because she had received life from Tui when she was a child, she had a piece of the Moon Spirit inside of her. So she sacrificed herself to bring Tui back. She became the new Moon Spirit and restored the moon to the world."

The heiress looked at the moon with glossy eyes. She was speechless. Korra kissed her cheek and smiled. "So that's why this is called Yue Bay, isn't it? To honor the new Moon Spirit."

The Water Tribe girl sharpened her grin. "I would imagine so. She was very close to Sokka and Aang, so I can't imagine this was a coincidence of any kind. I can't believe you never knew this."

Asami blushed and tried to hide her face.

"It's okay, Asami. I love telling the story." Korra pulled her in for a hug. When they departed, the shorter woman looked into those emeralds with the same brightness in her eyes as before. "I want to show you something." She turned away from her girlfriend and stepped into the water without a single flinch to its cold temperature, until her boots were submerged. Her body faced outwards, towards the sea and away from the shore. "In the Southern Water Tribe, we host a small ritual to honor Yue, Tui, and La every time there's a full moon, and to thank them for their bending gift." She closed her eyes and inhaled, feeling the power radiating from the celestial body above.

Her arms extended from her body to make a "T" shape. She dropped and raised them in a slow motion, keeping her palms and fingers splayed out and down, parallel to the water beside her. With each repetition, a small amount of liquid lifted from the Bay. Its size increased as Korra's hands moved.

"Push and pull…" Asami whispered to herself. She was fixed on the Avatar, the way the moonlight made her and the water she bent glimmer. The wind died down, as if on cue.

When the fluid was high enough to reach her fingers, Korra pushed her stance forward. The water followed, still in separate streams. She whipped her arms back and forth around her torso and the liquid weaved in and out in a similar pattern, like the twirling of DNA. The Southerner shifted upwards and the fluid circled to her, though its meandering continued. Korra brought her hands over her head in a grand sweeping motion and returned them to her core. The liquid mimicked the motion and branched into several smaller portions. The Avatar's arms flicked about in flowing patterns and each bit of water danced a different way. She rotated through her steps, her body revolving about her center axis, much like the element she controlled.

It was a spectacle to behold; Asami couldn't believe the sight in front of her. How did Korra manage to make each bit of water look so diverse, yet so beautiful, under the moonlight? She watched with awe, hands clasped together to her chest, too entranced to even notice the cold anymore.

Korra bent the water every which way to make designs in the air. There were different types of curves and spirals resembling waves. Another portion swirled between the others in a small, sprinting stream. The whole piece circled in a tide-like motion, reminiscent to the Spirits swimming in the oasis. She juggled the liquid above her while bringing larger and larger waves around her feet. She lifted this, too, to eddy around the bottom section of the original water in the center. Each droplet glistened. With a final surge, she brought all of the fluid together into a single mass and twisted it upwards towards the sky. She held it there and kept it rotating with her as her footsteps spun her own body. She halted, her back to the shore once more. With gentle motions similar to those she started with, she guided the spiral back down to the Bay. Once the water reached her hands, they split into two streams again. Korra pushed and pulled the water back into its resting place, her arms stretched out in a final "T" position. She elevated her palms and brought them together above her head. She pulled them down to her chest, elbows pointed outwards, and exhaled, as if she had been doing all of this in a single breath. She opened her eyes and looked at the moon with appreciation before acknowledging her beloved.

"What did you think?" Korra asked, a hint of nervousness in her tone, as she emerged from the Bay.

Asami wiped the tears from her eyes; she had never seen such beautiful bending in her entire life. "Korra, that was... I don't even think I can find a word that would give it justice. That was one of the most astounding things I have ever seen."

"It's better when there are more people. Usually, they each do a little part of the ritual. One will control the base and the designs split among the others. I tried to do them all myself, though."

"It was wonderful." The heiress planted a deep kiss on her girlfriend's lips.

"I haven't done that since I've been in the South Pole."

"Why?"

She hesitated. "I needed someone to share it with. It's not the same when I'm all alone; it's meant to be a communal practice. But it's a sacred art. We are only supposed to share it with people who are other members of the Southern Water Tribe that are close to us."

Asami's face was riddled with confusion. "But Korra, I'm not –"

"I know, I know, you're not a _native_ born Southerner. But you mean a lot to me. You're… you're a part of me. And maybe, someday, well, perhaps… you… me… um… well…" Korra blushed and looked away.

The only thing the heiress could think to do was hug her beloved. "I'm honored, Korra."

Small tears crept down her face. "Asami…"

The heiress cut her off by locking their lips. The wind returned and enveloped them, forcing a shiver down Asami's back.

The Avatar pulled away. "Should we head back?"

"Not yet. I want to look at Yue more." She admitted, despite her body's disapproval. The younger woman couldn't help but smile in response. They walked, hand in gloved-hand, over to Naga and nuzzled into her side. The polar bear dog plopped her head into Korra's lap, while her girlfriend rested hers in the nook of her lover's neck.

Korra continued her silent crying, allowing the wind and the sea to sing to her, the moonlight to fill her eyes, and the warmth of her two best friends to surround her. For the first time in what felt like years, she didn't feel so homesick, and the streaks on her face were formed from happiness. She tightened her grip on Asami's waist and whispered sweet words to her. "Thank-you, Asami. For everything. I… I love you."

The howls of the shoreline gales overpowered Korra's confession. _I'll tell you some other time._

(-)

After an hour of gazing at the sky, the couple decided to head back to Republic City. The gusts were sending storm clouds their way, though their backs were to the Bay before they could see them coming. Korra pulled her girlfriend's arms around her abdomen and held them close. Asami eased into the Avatar's body as the polar bear dog carried them to their apartment. She was asleep when they arrived.

"Hey," she felt a nudge on her face. "Asami, we're back."

"Hmmm?" The engineer cracked one eye open, halfway into her slumber. Another gale of wind blew across her face and demanded her attention.

"Here." She turned her body and lifted the older woman's legs around her hips. Asami fell into position without thought. She wrapped her arms around Korra's neck and burrowed her cold skin into her warm, tan shoulder.

The Avatar hopped off of her polar bear dog and landed with a bit of Air Bending. She fidgeted with the keys (something she was not used to in the North), and pushed the door open. Naga followed behind her.

"I'm going to go lay Asami down, girl. Will you be alright by yourself?"

Her animal companion responded in a sad, hushed tone and licked the Southerner's cheek.

"I know, girl, I know. You miss home too, don't you?"

A soft whimper confirmed this.

"Maybe we'll get to go visit soon. You can go chase some tiger seals and otter penguins." She paused for a moment and mentally facepalmed. _Damn!_

The polar bear dog tilted her head.

"Naga, I should've taken Asami penguin sledding the last time we were at the South Pole. Why didn't I think of that!?"

The animal huffed and rotated so that her other ear was pointing upwards.

"Yeah, you're right. The last time she was in the South Pole, well…" She reminisced to the occasion, when the heiress had taken her father to safety and watched over Jinora's body while Korra fought UnaVaatu. A shiver crawled over her skin and she pushed the recollections away.

Naga put her paw on the Avatar's shoulder in a delicate way when she shifted the woman sleeping in her arms.

"I'm okay, girl. Just… bad memories." She took a moment to take in Asami's warmth in this state. The faint scent of jasmine hit her nose from the small amount of perfume that remained on the inventor's skin.

The polar bear dog returned her leg to the ground and rubbed against Korra's arm.

The Water Tribe girl smiled. "The next time we go to the South Pole, Naga, we've got to bring Asami with us. And give her a proper tour. I bet she would like it there a lot more when people aren't trying to kill us. We would get to have some of mom's delicious cooking and –"

The blood in her face drained and paled her skin.

The animal titled her head once more and sat, with her front legs straight and perpendicular to the ground.

"The last time I… _we_ were at the Pole, Asami and I were just friends. Now, we're…" She couldn't fight the blush that spread across her cheeks. "I don't know how my parents will take it. They seemed pretty fond of her after everything that happened with Zaheer…" Another tremble shook her body. She pulled the heiress closer and buried her face in her raven-hair, just for a moment, before returning her gaze to her four-legged best friend.

An understanding aura leaked from Naga's eyes.

"What do you think, girl? Do you think they'll like her? Well, okay, I'm sure they like her now. But do you think they'll be okay with, you know… _us_?"

She let out an encouraging bark and licked Korra's face, forcing her to giggle.

"Thanks, girl. I hope you're right."

The younger woman looked at Asami with loving eyes and kissed her cheek as gentle as she could. Naga brushed her face against one of the engineer's limp arms as well.

"I'm glad you approve of her too, Naga. Your opinion is of the utmost importance to me." The Avatar straightened into a regal-like pose as she spoke.

The polar bear dog nipped Korra's wrist in a playful motion. The Southerner knew all too well what that meant and granted Naga's request for an ear scratch. She altered her hold on Asami into one arm and pet her animal companion with a smile on her face.

"We should get to sleep, girl."

A soft whimper and the strongest puppy-dog eyes that Korra ever saw faced her. A surrendering sigh escaped her lips.

"Okay, you can sleep in our room tonight, but not in the bed. You remember what happened last time when you tore through our mattress."

Naga looked down to the floor with guilt and whined. The Avatar chuckled and led the way to their bedroom. She placed her girlfriend on her half as careful as she could and walked around to her side. She slid into her spot without waking Asami. Her polar bear dog plumped down next to the bed and curled up. She rested her snout atop Korra's arm. The heiress stirred and rolled over to face the younger woman, still deep in slumber. She melted into the Water Tribe girl's body and nestled into her bare shoulder.

A gentle smile spread across Korra's cheeks. She closed her eyes and hummed in content. Sleep beckoned her, and although her mind was at ease upon the fall, her dreams were filled with snow and arctic memories.


End file.
